…HOLY ****!
Remember that part where Hoopa’s all
"HYAH!" But then Lugia’s like,
"SQUAW!" And the Legendaries go,
"SWOOYA!"
It was so…eh, what’s that? The plot? Oh, right - this is a review. Well, er - this film may have the slightest plot of any of the pokefilms. It’s really not much more than an excuse for the different generations of Legendaries to start clashing. And if it’s the slightest, it’s also the most confusing - I have no idea what’s up with Hoopa’s power. The CotDs are prominent but boring, the travelling companions are wasted, and Ash is once again little more than a
deus ex machina. If this Lugia is the same one from Movie 2 (and I assume it’s supposed to be, with all the cameos), it makes no sense that it can’t talk. And it seems a shame that not all the Legendaries/Mythical ones are represented; a rather arbitrary cut-off of generations went on here.
But what about when the whole group comes together like "WHAM!"
It’s just…it’s just…
oh my God, it’s so ****ing cool!
(But seriously - I may have been overhyped for this one. It wasn’t the all-out,
kaiju-style brawl I had been led to expect by the clips I’d seen and the blurbs I’d read. But when it does get cool, crazy, or just plain fun, it
really goes all out. While
Kyurem tried, this is the first of these films since
Lucario to feel like has a truly cinematic scope, with its crazy airborne city-set battles. And with so many of these movies being padded like mad, it’s nice to have one zip by at a snappy pace. For sheer entertainment value, it’s up there on the list.
A few things worth noting:
- Oh my God - Team Rocket actually mattered to the plot!
- I will never understand why the staff felt that every movie after the first few needed to take a few minutes to explain the world of Pokemon. Who’s watching these flicks without at least a cursory knowledge of the franchise?
- Kind of touched on this already, but - compared to most of these movies, this one gets going really fast. They waste, like, no time in getting Hoopa to hook up with Ash and friends, and it keeps up a pretty breakneck pace. On the other hand, it does take a while for the cool stuff to start happening.
- Given the XY/Z series’ reputation for being rather humorless, this one’s actually a lot of fun. Hoopa’s got a nice, goofy shtick going on.
- TCPi gave Advanced-Stage Hoopa a really dumb-sounding voice. It’s like if the Hulk lost 120 I.Q. points.
- I don't like TCPi's dub for the most part, but the Ash voice used by Sarah Natochenny is excellent. It’s believable coming out of that face, and the performance itself is solid. I will never not prefer Veronica Taylor, but nostalgia and personal bias play a large role in that. Rachel Lillis’ replacement as Jessie is also acceptable - the only member of the TRio I can say that about. The Kalos Crew’s voices are all terrible though. And they should’ve all had French accents.
All the Kalos populace should’ve had French accents!